This time was the turn of the SkyRace Comapedrosa, a 21km race with almost 2300m of positive gain. The race at the Pyrenees was coming up, right after the win of Laura Orgué and Stian Angermund-Vik in the Dolomites Skyrace. A race where Jan Margarit and Sheila Aviles were 2017 champions, and this 2018 edition stacked with top runners….and where Kilian Jornet was once again to win, now setting a new course record, this time with the swede Lina El Kott as the female winner.

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SKYRUNNER WORLD SERIES 2018:

SKY CLASSIC CALENDAR: Eleven races, ranging in distance from the 21k at Comapedrosa to the 46k at Zermatt. Rankings include 20% bonus points given out at Zegama, Matterhorn and Limone. The title goes to the best five results among the eleven races.

May 2 Yading Skyrun, 30 km, China

May 28 *Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri, 42 km, Spain

June 18 Livigno SkyMarathon®, Italy

June 24 Olympus Marathon, Greece

July 8 Buff Epic Trail 42KM, Spain

July 22 Dolomites SkyRace, 22 km, Canazei, Italy

July 30 SkyRace Comapedrosa, 21 km, Andorra

August 26 *Matterhorn Ultraks «46K», Zermatt, Switzerland

September 2 The Rut 25K, Montana, USA

September 16 Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace, 29km, Kinlochleven, UK

October14 *Skyrunning Extreme – 23 km, Limone sul Garda, Italy

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SKYRACE COMAPEDROSA 2018: THE RACE

The first section of the race gets through a paved road that reaches the trail that will take us to Coll de les Cases (1958m), is a very steep trail that runs through a wooded area, from this point the runners will find a high-altitude ridge with scarce vegetation, until reaching the Pic de les Fonts (2748m). At this point they will descend to the Pla de l’Estany where we find a little hut.

This is a lost valley amid the majestic Andorran mountains, from this point begins a beautiful climb, a true vertical wall over 1000m of positive gain in about 2km away without marked trail that will take us to the summit of Comapedrosa (2.942m).

The descent is for the traditional route through the Estany Negre and the Comapedrosa hut, until reaching back Arinsal.

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SKYRACE COMAPEDROSA 2018: KILIAN CONTINUES WITH VICTORY

After setting a new speed record in the Bob Graham Round and winning the Mont Blanc Marathon, Kilian Jornet broke a new course record to win the Skyrace Comapedrosa in Andorra in a time of 2h33’17’’. The podium was completed by the Swiss Pascal Egli (2h36’29’’) and the Swede Petter Engdahl (2h39’12’’). The race, over 21km and with 2,300m of overall ascent, is short but demanding, and allowed Jornet to confirm that his injured leg responded well to the challenge.

From the starting line in Arcalís, Jornet was in the leading group in a tough race with strong competition and which was hotly contested with Engdahl, Egli and Wild from the beginning as far as the Refugi del Pla de l’Estany (10,5 km). From that point on Jornet pushed harder on the second 2km, 1,000m high ascent to the summit of Comapedrosa (2,942m), the highest point on the course, saving his energy for the 8km descent and giving the Cerdanya athlete another chance to test his injured leg. “The injury is getting better by the day, I wasn’t in any pain during the long descent, which put the leg to the test,” Jornet confirmed.

Jornet has broken the course record in an event that forms part of the Skyrunner World Series and at which in 2007, at the tender age of 20, he won his first World Cup. “I feel really at home here and I was keen to come back, it’s a very competitive race, a great fiesta,” Jornet said after his victory.

There was also a top-class selection of runners in the women’s category, which was won by the Swede Lina El Kott (3h03’07’’), followed by the Catalan Laura Orgué (3h06’54’’) and the Swede Sanna El Kott (3h11’53’’).